Toyota Yaris: carsales Car of the Year 2020 contender

If there’s one company that has built its reputation on conservatism, it’s Toyota. But the Japanese auto giant’s latest entrant in the light car segment has overturned that reputation for stodgy design and wallflower engineering in one fell swoop.

New from the ground up in a way that few ‘new’ models are, in fact, the latest Toyota Yaris has forsaken the 1.3 and 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines in favour of just one engine, a 1.5-litre three-cylinder, which is paired up with a hybrid-drive set-up in two top-shelf variants, trimmed to SX and ZR grades.

The price has jumped, even for the manual-transmission Yaris Ascent Sport at entry level, and that could be the factor that decides whether this light car from Toyota will proceed any further in the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

With more character from its three-cylinder engine than the four-pot powerplants of the past – plus dramatically improved vehicle dynamics – the Yaris is aimed at buyers who might otherwise prefer a European brand in this market sector, the light car segment.

This generation of Yaris is altogether a better resolved design than its predecessor. In many ways, it has to be.

Perhaps we’ve seen the end of days for the Yaris selling by default to young people who bought purely on the strength of affordability and value for money.

Sure, there will still be plenty of young singles buying the Yaris, but there’s also likely a fraction of the empty-nester set who are cashed-up, living in areas of a higher population density, and who might be attracted to the new model.

The Yaris could also convert a few young families in need of a second car that’s easy to drive, and one shouldn’t forget that the Yaris in hybrid form might be very appealing to buyers concerned for the environment and remain unconvinced that plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles are quite as compelling as many pundits suggest.

Prices start at $22,130 plus on-road costs for the Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport with manual transmission. It’s a breathtaking jump from the entry-level price of the previous generation Yaris, nearly $7000.

On the plus side, it’s a better car all round, with substantial gains in engine performance and power-to-weight ratio, all the while consuming fuel at a slower rate.

Opting for the continuously variable transmission that’s an option for the Ascent Sport grade adds $1520. There’s another jump in price to the Yaris SX – with the CVT as standard – to $27,020.

The hybrid version of the Yaris SX costs an extra $2000 ($29,020), and the Yaris ZR is just above that, at $30,100. As with the SX grade, add $2000 more for the hybrid Yaris ZR ($32,100).

The Yaris Ascent Sport rides on 15-inch steel wheels and comes with manual air-conditioning. Its standard comfort and convenience features include a six-speaker audio with digital radio, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Safety equipment fitted as standard include eight airbags and autonomous emergency braking.

To all that, the Yaris SX adds 15-inch alloys, climate control, satellite navigation, keyless entry/starting, leather-bound steering wheel and LED headlights. The Yaris ZR moves up to 16-inch alloys, a head-up display, sports front seats and blind spot monitoring.

“In many ways it seems the high-spec, high-safety strategy is the new price of doing small-car business in Australia,” carsales news editor Sam Charlwood wrote in his review of the new Yaris.

“Mazda treaded the same path and so slim are the profit margins at this end of the market that both Ford and Hyundai have completely exited the mainstream light-car sector, as will Honda.

“There’s no doubt the 2021 Toyota Yaris is a step-change improvement, but it’s also now pricier than European light cars like the Renault Clio, Skoda Fabia and Volkswagen Polo.”

But as the Yaris is actually the cheapest car in the field, its price may not be such an important factor when judged against its rivals for the carsales Car of the Year for 2020, proudly presented by Bingle.

Toyota Yaris SX Hybrid at a glance:
Price: From $29,020
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 67kW/120Nm (85kW combined)
Fuel: 3.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 76g/km (ADR Combined)